Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
Hi guys,
Next week, I'm doing a performance with two other musicians, one of which is playing saxophone and the other a MIDI keyboard. Everything is set up nicely, we each have our own MIDI controllers, we're good to go except one slightly annoying problem...lots of clicks and pops (audio artifacts I think you call them?) from CPU overload, but only while playing MIDI instruments, especially Operator but also Drum Rack. Now, I know pretty much all of the tips and tricks for optimizing your CPU efficiency in a Set, but even when I load a new set and only play the Operator, I still get lots of them.
So what I'd like to know is: what's your experience when playing MIDI instruments, more precisely synth instruments, in a live context? Is it a problem you come across and if not, how powerful is your computer? I'm just wondering if the problem lies in some setting I can change, or is it only my computer that's not powerful enough...do musicians playing live MIDI only have super powerful computers?
I tried adjusting the buffer size: at 128, every note produces lots of clicks, at 256 it's pretty frequent and at 512 it's just bearable (that's what I'm using now, although the latency is now audible).
My set up is:
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
2.2 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
750GB SATA Disk
AudioBox 44VSL
Ableton Live 9.1.8 32-Bit
Any feedback is much appreciated!
Thanks,
Simon
Next week, I'm doing a performance with two other musicians, one of which is playing saxophone and the other a MIDI keyboard. Everything is set up nicely, we each have our own MIDI controllers, we're good to go except one slightly annoying problem...lots of clicks and pops (audio artifacts I think you call them?) from CPU overload, but only while playing MIDI instruments, especially Operator but also Drum Rack. Now, I know pretty much all of the tips and tricks for optimizing your CPU efficiency in a Set, but even when I load a new set and only play the Operator, I still get lots of them.
So what I'd like to know is: what's your experience when playing MIDI instruments, more precisely synth instruments, in a live context? Is it a problem you come across and if not, how powerful is your computer? I'm just wondering if the problem lies in some setting I can change, or is it only my computer that's not powerful enough...do musicians playing live MIDI only have super powerful computers?
I tried adjusting the buffer size: at 128, every note produces lots of clicks, at 256 it's pretty frequent and at 512 it's just bearable (that's what I'm using now, although the latency is now audible).
My set up is:
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
2.2 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
750GB SATA Disk
AudioBox 44VSL
Ableton Live 9.1.8 32-Bit
Any feedback is much appreciated!
Thanks,
Simon
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
have you tried turning off high quality mode in operator maybe it will help
i dont think your specs and interface are weak really either for that to be happening to you
my system is a windows desktop i have amd fx 6300 hexacore stock speed at 3.5gz , 16 gb ram, 1TB 7200 rpm drive, and lexicon alpha interface
ive never played in a live setting but i play with my synths and i also do guitar through my monitors with virutal amp while the program is looping beats and stuff and i dont notice crackles and stuff
i dont know much about macs OS but i see u have 8gb ram and run the 32 bit live is there a way for you to try 64 bit on mac maybe
hehe if u got this in ur inbox i fucked up and accidently clicked pm instead of reply the first time
sorry if u did
i dont think your specs and interface are weak really either for that to be happening to you
my system is a windows desktop i have amd fx 6300 hexacore stock speed at 3.5gz , 16 gb ram, 1TB 7200 rpm drive, and lexicon alpha interface
ive never played in a live setting but i play with my synths and i also do guitar through my monitors with virutal amp while the program is looping beats and stuff and i dont notice crackles and stuff
i dont know much about macs OS but i see u have 8gb ram and run the 32 bit live is there a way for you to try 64 bit on mac maybe
hehe if u got this in ur inbox i fucked up and accidently clicked pm instead of reply the first time
sorry if u did
windows 8.1, amd fx 6300 3.5ghz , amd radeon 7850 2gb gfx card, GA-78LMT-USB3 rev5.0 mobo, 16 gb ram , 7200 rpm hd , steinberg ur22 interface, cubase 8.0.35 pro , ableton live 9 suite
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
Thanks for the reply!
Could you tell me where that High Quality mode is in Operator? I don't see it anywhere...
I could try 64-bit, although I'm not so much convinced it could help...as far as I know, isn't it helpful for larger sets when lots of things are going on? Right now, even when I load only one MIDI track in a set, the crackles occur...
Thanks,
Simon
Could you tell me where that High Quality mode is in Operator? I don't see it anywhere...
I could try 64-bit, although I'm not so much convinced it could help...as far as I know, isn't it helpful for larger sets when lots of things are going on? Right now, even when I load only one MIDI track in a set, the crackles occur...
Thanks,
Simon
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
64 bit only means your 8gb ram is acessable instead of only 4 gb how in 32 bitOneiroi wrote:Thanks for the reply!
Could you tell me where that High Quality mode is in Operator? I don't see it anywhere...
I could try 64-bit, although I'm not so much convinced it could help...as far as I know, isn't it helpful for larger sets when lots of things are going on? Right now, even when I load only one MIDI track in a set, the crackles occur...
Thanks,
Simon
it actually wasnt caled highquality mode
i said wrong the options are interpolation and anti alaising on the bottom right bar u click that and it is the settings next to the voices setting
windows 8.1, amd fx 6300 3.5ghz , amd radeon 7850 2gb gfx card, GA-78LMT-USB3 rev5.0 mobo, 16 gb ram , 7200 rpm hd , steinberg ur22 interface, cubase 8.0.35 pro , ableton live 9 suite
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
Right, I already checked those options to make sure they weren't using much CPU.
I will download 64-bit and tell you if it makes any difference!
I will download 64-bit and tell you if it makes any difference!
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
Ok so I tried with 64-bit and no difference at all.
I loaded the same set with my much less powerful HP laptop and there is absolutely no clicks and pops even at 256 buffer size. The CPU goes up no further than 25 %, while with my Macbook Pro it goes to 50-60% everytime I hit a note. Which means there is surely something wrong with my MCP.
Something I noticed: When I'm using my audio interface with my HP laptop, I can't use any sound on other applications, Ableton is using it exclusively, while with my MCP, my audio interface is used by any other other application which might be running at the same time. Could that be the cause of the very high CPU I'm getting?
I loaded the same set with my much less powerful HP laptop and there is absolutely no clicks and pops even at 256 buffer size. The CPU goes up no further than 25 %, while with my Macbook Pro it goes to 50-60% everytime I hit a note. Which means there is surely something wrong with my MCP.
Something I noticed: When I'm using my audio interface with my HP laptop, I can't use any sound on other applications, Ableton is using it exclusively, while with my MCP, my audio interface is used by any other other application which might be running at the same time. Could that be the cause of the very high CPU I'm getting?
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
i dont know what else to try about the cpu usage really
on the audio not being heard
that is how my interface works also
to turn that off in windows you go to your audio interface properties and there is exclusive mode
you uncheck give applications exclusive control of this device and it should let go and let you listen on youtube when you make ableton in the background
but i am not sure how you would do on mac tho it should be similar i think maybe
on the audio not being heard
that is how my interface works also
to turn that off in windows you go to your audio interface properties and there is exclusive mode
you uncheck give applications exclusive control of this device and it should let go and let you listen on youtube when you make ableton in the background
but i am not sure how you would do on mac tho it should be similar i think maybe
windows 8.1, amd fx 6300 3.5ghz , amd radeon 7850 2gb gfx card, GA-78LMT-USB3 rev5.0 mobo, 16 gb ram , 7200 rpm hd , steinberg ur22 interface, cubase 8.0.35 pro , ableton live 9 suite
Re: Pops and clicks while playing MIDI Instruments
I tried playing with the built-in audio driver of my MCP and I still get very high CPU.
Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem between my computer and Ableton?
Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem between my computer and Ableton?